Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Ruhl also resists any tidy-bow resolutions here, and, arguably, she introduces elements that don’t quite gel (despite Toledo’s sometimes endearing performance, Pip feels like a plot device more than a fully rounded character). But it’s refreshing to see a play that doesn’t treat monogamy as the gold standard for relationships, or posits that only young people know how to transcend the strictures of society in order to find new aspects of themselves."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...Are there limits to happiness? Can any one of us remotely comprehend the countless forms it can take? Those two questions rest at the heart of Sarah Ruhl's rakish rebel of a play, How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, now stirring things up at Redtwist Theatre in Edgewater. Sublimely directed by Elizabeth Swanson, it takes us places many have been curious to explore but would be extremely hesitant to consciously venture."
Around The Town Chicago
- Recommended
"...Sarah Ruhl's play "How to Transcend a Happy Marriage" is brilliant and thought-provoking, but basically bipolar. The comedy in the first act is hilarious, yet very genuine with its easy, sexually-tinged banter, and the actors' timing is impeccable! In such an intimate theatre, like Redtwist (that holds a maximum of 29 people), you feel as if you've intruded on someone's living room and invaded their personal space. And now you're somehow a part of it all and could just walk in and add to their conversation. The first act is so raw, funny, and perceptive that it could have gotten six stars.* However, the second act is somewhat of a disappointment, that is, when impulsiveness dissolves into sober reflection and when the disconnect between fantasy and reality becomes distracting."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Recommended
"...Redtwist’s opening production of their promising 21st Season definitely offers audiences an interesting evening of theatre. It’s a play in which everyone connected to the production, from its talented Director to a brilliant cast and crew, are all to be lauded. But after so many interesting and successful prior plays, this time around Sarah Ruhl’s script simply doesn’t fully satisfy. She offers too much. Yes, we leave the theatre talking about the exciting production, the gifted actors and the many fascinating ideas that were presented. But polyamory, Pythagoras and pistachios simply don’t add up to a fully satisfying meal."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...Is there a harder emotion to define than love? Its forms are various and seemingly subjective, something you can only know when you feel it. Sarah Ruhl takes on the topic in her 2017 play How to Transcend a Happy Marriage now playing at Redtwist Theatre. Directed by Elizabeth Swanson, this quirky comedy drops audiences right into the dinner party conversation of two married couples discussing polyamory."
The Fourth Walsh
- Recommended
"...Playwright Sarah Ruhl penned an evocative story. The hilarious first act has ordinary people broaching the taboo. The dialogue is razor sharp. Under the masterful direction of Elizabeth Swanson, the ensemble deliver both organic humor and angst with gusto. The couples: Carlos Trevino (Paul), Tatiana Pavela (George), Monique Marshaun (Jane) and Joe Zarrow (Michael) are believable as spouses and friends. Dialogue overlaps. Jabs are understated. Annoyance is only partially hidden. The married friends' thing seems legit!"
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Redtwist Theatre is high-kicking and playing on the edge for Season 21, themed "Defiant Femmes." It is a timely theme and, in my opinion, needed to bolster the energy and power of women while our society balances on the edge of "paleo-conservatism." How to Transcend a Happy Marriage is written by Sarah Ruhl, known for her themes of gender, identity, and challenging the subjugation of women. Elizabeth Swanson directs this excellent cast with the precision and flow needed for the rhythms of Ruhl's sharp dialogue, with a dive into magical realism."
